Towing Fifth Wheel in the wind?

[Pappy]

Hi all,
I am sure this questions has been asked before but I did a search and did not find much. I am new to fifthwheel towing. Wind here today was 35 mph with gusts to 50mph. We decided to sit it out for a day. forecast for tomorrow is 20 MPH and am not sure how the 5er will do? It there a limit that some of you have set for towing in wind? Thanks for the info. Trip will be 120 miles. Thanks for the advice...

 

[TravelTiger]

We've pulled in some gusty winds in New Mexico and haven't had problems. But if there are NOAA Weather high wind warnings, we stay put.


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[GOTTOYS]

20 mph should be no problem at all. I have a SRW truck and occasionally a gust of 40-50mph rocks it a little but not enough to make me park it. If it's raining and windy like that then I prefer to wait it out. ...Don

 

[SJH]

We too have encountered some pretty strong winds crossing the Cascades and I was surprised at how stable the rig towed. I don't think I would depart in high winds but I don't believe it is something one needs to worry about encontering along the way unless its severe or becomes uncomfortable. I forget our WA weather is mild compared to some areas of the country but it does get windy here sometimes!

Best Wishes!

 

[rick_debbie_gallant]

Here is an article I found interesting! It is long, but gives good tips. Basically the biggest killer of MPG is speed and wind resistance.
according to the article for every 1 MPH you go over 55 mph you lose .1 MPG. It is a very good article.

http://cumminsengines.com/assets/pdf/Secrets%20of%20Better%20Fuel%20Economy_whitepaper.pdf

 

[RoadJunkie]

Of all the stresses associated with towing a larger 5er, I find wind to be at the top of the list; Mileage goes down, anxiety goes up. I don't even like to be in my rig during the rocking and shaking that goes on during a strong wind. Trying to sleep in the rig while all that is going on is a whole different story. I haven't had to hunker down to avoid hauling in a higher wind, but I would not hesitate to do so. The decision of when to do so is more a function of your comfort level as oppose to a specific wind speed.

 

[caissiel]

When my mileage on the scangauge drops I usually observe the trees and if they bend I drop my speed to 55mph. Side wind is **** on mileage. It has to be a heavy wind to budge a well setup 5th wheel.
Now I check the local weather on the smartphone and drive accordingly.

The first day I picked up the BC it was the tail end of a hurricane and the unit drove very comfortably.
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[TandT]

Of all the stresses associated with towing a larger 5er, I find wind to be at the top of the list; Mileage goes down, anxiety goes up. I don't even like to be in my rig during the rocking and shaking that goes on during a strong wind. Trying to sleep in the rig while all that is going on is a whole different story. I haven't had to hunker down to avoid hauling in a higher wind, but I would not hesitate to do so. The decision of when to do so is more a function of your comfort level as oppose to a specific wind speed.

Head winds will kill your mileage. as mentioned. However, I would rather tow in a head wind or tail wind, as opposed to cross winds.
My threshold is about 50 mph in a cross wind.

We stay in various deserts almost all the time, where it is often very windy.

Driving is one thing, but sleeping you can help by getting these http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-jacks/jts-strongarm-stabilizer.htm
I got them about a year ago and they take about 75-80% of the shake out in high winds.

There is a pretty good price for members right now on the Gillette rally thread. Trace

 

[Sumo]

Personally, if the weather, wind, rain, snow or any combination, makes me feel uneasy I find a place and park.
As far as a 20 mph wind with a 5th wheel I personally wouldn't worry.

 

[hoefler]

A truck with training wheels will do wonders for your stability and comfort in any wind condition.

 

[jmgratz]

I towed in a head wind of 35mph with 60 mph gusts. My mileage (on the 99 F350 srw I had at the time) went from 10mpg to 5 mpg. The wind was blowing so hard that we stopped at a rest area and when the DW went to get out of the truck the wind caught the door she was hanging onto blew open pulling her out of the truck. I thought it was funny, she didn't. The next day the wind was 30 mph and it was a tailwind and we were getting 12 mph. I will not tow again in winds that high. I didn't realize it was going to be high winds until we were on the road. Won't do that again. Also it was a white knuckle drive. A dually would of made us feel more stable.

 

[Gizzy]

I can only say what worked for us. During and extended trip (8000 mi) last summer out west we started planning our travel days for leaving early morning and planning our stops for lunch time or shorty after, depending on what was available. We found the wind seemed to mostly pick up as the day got hotter. We usually got in about 200 miles a day average doing that, and we were never in a rush to get to our destinations. If you have the time, it seemed to work and save us some $ with better fuel MPG.

 

[PeternLiane]

We park at winds 35 or above. At 20 you should be fine.

 

[ShoganCO]

Pulling our “Brand New” 3250TS from Cody to Colorado Springs a few days ago we hit crosswinds in excess of 40+ mph on I25. My MPG dropped from 11.8 to 8 quickly. I tow with a 08 Ford DRW F350 and rarely did we actually "feel" the wind. We saw the wind hit our mpg. Tow speed was between 55 - 60 mph. I'd say we should probably have parked but we managed. If not for my wide hipped girl we would have.

Coming from a AF 1150 slide-in camper however, the handling was night, night being the camper, and day so my opinion may be a little skewed.

 

[JJOren]

Some years ago, we towed a 5th wheel across a 26 mile bridge during Tropical Storm Michael. Can't say that it was the smartest thing I ever did...on the other hand, can't say it was bad either. Simply reduced speed and had no problems at all!!! The real question is what do YOU feel safe with. That should be your limit!!

 

[jmgratz]

I would say it is time to pull off when you see the 18 wheelers in front of you blowing over.

 

[santafesoul]

Two weekends ago we were returning on I-25 from our niece's graduation and got caught in a wind/hail storm. We learned later that the winds exceeded 50 MPH from the drivers side and, the hail was so thick that we couldn't see more than 100 feet. Thank goodness that the hail was soft. Knowing is was not smart to stop on the highway we slowed to about 5 MPH and crawled for about a half hour until we saw an off ramp. We took the off ramp and found a place to pull over with the wind at our backs and waited the storm out.

The reason we did not pull over on the highway was the shoulder was sloped and I was concerned that the lean and the wind may add up to an overturned 5er. We learned later that one 5th wheel that did flip.

And on top of it all, it was our first road trip and yes, we did say a thank you prayer when we got to the house.

 

[Pappy]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. We took it out in about 20 mph wind and it seemed to do fine. Hit an occasional gust and was not to bad. Just need to get use to it and determine my comfort zone for the wind. Thanks again...